Let's get together

Liberty Perry, who is in foster care, did the math, and her first day of sixth grade is the 10th time she's been the new kid. Though she's used to moving around and adjusting to fit in with ever-changing circumstances, her recent placement, with empathetic Joey in Pasadena, feels different, and she hopes this move will be her last. Meanwhile, Kenya Norwood is looking forward to spending sixth grade at the top of the social hierarchy with her best friends. But the first day of class brings a shock for both Liberty and Kenya, whose disastrous first meeting and uncanny resemblance becomes the talk of the school. After the girls' mutual dislike escalates to a physical confrontation, Kenya's single father reveals a shocking secret: Liberty and Kenya are twins, and their late mother kidnapped Liberty when they were babies. In this nimble, winning reimagining of The Parent Trap, Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town) examines--via the protagonists' strong characterizations across dual-third-person POVs--the potential social and emotional effects of navigating the foster care system alongside nuanced depictions of substance reliance and children managing complex relationships with parents and caregivers. Most characters are Black. Ages 8--12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.)

Two Black girls in Pasadena navigate the complexities of a newfound family relationship. Eleven-year-old Liberty Perry has been a foster kid for as long as she can remember. After years of moving around to different households, she's happy with her new foster mom, Joey, and Joey's cat, Hansberry. When Liberty begins sixth grade at her 10th new school, Biddy Mason Community School, the last thing she expects is to meet her doppelgänger. Like Liberty, Kenya Norwood has dark skin and striking hazel eyes, but the similarities end with their physical resemblance--and the girls don't get along. After they get into a fight, Kenya's father, Wes, comes to school and recognizes Liberty as Kalilah, his missing daughter. A DNA test confirms this fact, unraveling the twins' family history and posing a question of reunification that complicates Liberty's recent, joyful acceptance of an invitation to be adopted by Joey. But the girls form a kinship bond despite their differences, and Kenya hatches a plan to make Joey and Wes fall in love so they can all stay together forever. The matchmaking schemes involve a luncheon, a Halloween trick-or-treat outing, a surprise Thanksgiving family dinner, and a camping trip, all leading up to a satisfying and realistic conclusion. The third-person perspective alternates between Liberty's and Kenya's points of view. Colbert sensitively and age-appropriately addresses complex issues around mental health, substance abuse, and the foster care system. A compassionate, emotionally intelligent story about family and belonging that will resonate widely. (author's note)(Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.